Does anyone have any views on condenser versus vented driers.
Are there any manufacturers to avoid or any outstandingly good ones.
Many thanks
CB

cb wrote:
Does anyone have any views on condenser versus vented driers.
Are there any manufacturers to avoid or any outstandingly good ones.
Many thanks
CB

I asked this same question a few days ago, worth finding the thread.

Opinion is strongly divided. In theory a good condensing drier, which
dries well and removes at least 90% of the water from the exhaust air
would be great - especially since I want to put it in the utility room,
which could do with the waste heat.

But it appears that in practice they rarely perform that well.

I'm still undecided, but will need to make a decision soon.

--
Grunff

In article ,

Opinion is strongly divided. In theory a good condensing drier,
which dries well and removes at least 90% of the water from the
exhaust air would be great - especially since I want to put it
in the utility room, which could do with the waste heat.

We've had several tumble driers, all vented, and
they have sat in various positions in the utility
room.

The present one is a Hotpoint TDl 11, which comes
with a right-angled outlet ducting. It is probably
in the best position so far..... sitting on a small
bench, backed up against an exterior wall, with the
outlet duct dropping down a foot, and out through
the wall. The original exterior grille turned out
to be an excellent fluff-trap, which could nicely
block the airflow, and shorten the life of the
element and/or thermostatic switches. So I cut it
all away and just have a cranked piece of aluminium
as a rain and wind shield.

A low pressure exhaust, going downwards as it leaves
the TD is the key to best operation. It dries clothes
quickly, all the fluff is blown outside, no build up
in the ducting, no overheating of the element, etc.

--
Tony Williams.

"Tony Williams" wrote in message
...
In article ,

Opinion is strongly divided. In theory a good condensing drier,
which dries well and removes at least 90% of the water from the
exhaust air would be great - especially since I want to put it
in the utility room, which could do with the waste heat.

We've had several tumble driers, all vented, and
they have sat in various positions in the utility
room.

The present one is a Hotpoint TDl 11, which comes
with a right-angled outlet ducting. It is probably
in the best position so far..... sitting on a small
bench, backed up against an exterior wall, with the
outlet duct dropping down a foot, and out through
the wall. The original exterior grille turned out
to be an excellent fluff-trap, which could nicely
block the airflow, and shorten the life of the
element and/or thermostatic switches. So I cut it
all away and just have a cranked piece of aluminium
as a rain and wind shield.

A low pressure exhaust, going downwards as it leaves
the TD is the key to best operation. It dries clothes
quickly, all the fluff is blown outside, no build up
in the ducting, no overheating of the element, etc.

--
Tony Williams.

We have had a Bosch condenser drier for the past 6 years and can't fault it.
It dries beautifully (nothing ever over-dries) and the filter is easy to
clean. Having had a vented drier before this one I would always choose
condenser again.

Jo

Opinion is strongly divided. In theory a good condensing drier, which
dries well and removes at least 90% of the water from the exhaust air
would be great - especially since I want to put it in the utility room,
which could do with the waste heat.

they dont work that way, the hot air is recycled in the machine over an
alloy plate on which the steam condenses assisted by room air blown accross
by a fan, so the only heat you get into the room is from the cabinet, same
as a vented dryer.

On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 10:46:15 +0100, Grunff wrote:

cb wrote:
Does anyone have any views on condenser versus vented driers.
Are there any manufacturers to avoid or any outstandingly good ones.
Many thanks
CB

I asked this same question a few days ago, worth finding the thread.

Opinion is strongly divided. In theory a good condensing drier, which
dries well and removes at least 90% of the water from the exhaust air
would be great - especially since I want to put it in the utility room,
which could do with the waste heat.

But it appears that in practice they rarely perform that well.

I'm still undecided, but will need to make a decision soon.


Look - stop mucking around - just buy the bloody Miele :-)

That way there'll be every justification for the new tools that you'll
want in a couple of months time.

(P.S. Don't tell SWMBO that I put you up to that :-) )



..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

Peter wrote:
Opinion is strongly divided. In theory a good condensing drier, which
dries well and removes at least 90% of the water from the exhaust air
would be great - especially since I want to put it in the utility room,
which could do with the waste heat.


they dont work that way, the hot air is recycled in the machine over an
alloy plate on which the steam condenses assisted by room air blown accross
by a fan, so the only heat you get into the room is from the cabinet, same
as a vented dryer.

Except that the room air that is used to cool the condensor gets warm in
the process.

I'm not sure your description is true for all condensors anyway. I have
seen at least one with quite moist warm air leaving it.


--
Chris
-----
Spamtrap in force: to email replace 127.0.0.1 with blueyonder.co.uk

Peter wrote:
Opinion is strongly divided. In theory a good condensing drier, which
dries well and removes at least 90% of the water from the exhaust air
would be great - especially since I want to put it in the utility room,
which could do with the waste heat.


they dont work that way, the hot air is recycled in the machine over an
alloy plate on which the steam condenses assisted by room air blown accross
by a fan, so the only heat you get into the room is from the cabinet, same
as a vented dryer.


I'm aware that some of them work this way, but others certainly don't.
Getting infomation on which ones work in which way is rather difficult.

--
Grunff

Andy Hall wrote:

Look - stop mucking around - just buy the bloody Miele :-)

Yes, but the Miele condensor or the Miele vented?


That way there'll be every justification for the new tools that you'll
want in a couple of months time.

Mmm... Tools...


(P.S. Don't tell SWMBO that I put you up to that :-) )

I think you're already on her blacklist.


--
Grunff

On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 21:39:30 +0100, Grunff wrote:

Andy Hall wrote:

Look - stop mucking around - just buy the bloody Miele :-)

Yes, but the Miele condensor or the Miele vented?

Oh I see. Well I have the vented one and it does the job and fits the
space..



That way there'll be every justification for the new tools that you'll
want in a couple of months time.

Mmm... Tools...


(P.S. Don't tell SWMBO that I put you up to that :-) )

I think you're already on her blacklist.

I wondered that. Does beer help at all?




..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

Andy Hall wrote:

I think you're already on her blacklist.


I wondered that. Does beer help at all?


Beer always helps, yes.

--
Grunff

"Andy Hall" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 21:39:30 +0100, Grunff wrote:

Andy Hall wrote:

Look - stop mucking around - just buy the bloody Miele :-)

Yes, but the Miele condensor or the Miele vented?

Oh I see. Well I have the vented one and it does the job and fits the
space..


I'm having a condensing Miele (T 230 C?) delivered on Wednesday so if
you can wait another week I'll report back here...

Neil

Neil Jones wrote:

I'm having a condensing Miele (T 230 C?) delivered on Wednesday so if
you can wait another week I'll report back here...


That would be very much appreciated.

--
Grunff

Look - stop mucking around - just buy the bloody Miele :-)

Yes, but the Miele condensor or the Miele vented?

The condensor. Much less faff than drilling holes in the wall, to find that
in 'x' years time, the replacement wants it 2cm smaller and slightly to left
and that you can't push the machine all the wall in because the hose kinks.

Christian.

Christian McArdle wrote:

The condensor. Much less faff than drilling holes in the wall, to find that
in 'x' years time, the replacement wants it 2cm smaller and slightly to left
and that you can't push the machine all the wall in because the hose kinks.


But in that case I'd be inclined to go for a machine with a drain
facility (no tank to empty). Miele don't seem to cater for this.


--
Grunff

"Grunff" wrote in message
...
Christian McArdle wrote:

The condensor. Much less faff than drilling holes in the wall, to
find that
in 'x' years time, the replacement wants it 2cm smaller and slightly
to left
and that you can't push the machine all the wall in because the hose
kinks.


But in that case I'd be inclined to go for a machine with a drain
facility (no tank to empty). Miele don't seem to cater for this.

In fact Miele have a 'pump away' facility on all their condensors. This
was once factor in their favour at John Lewis last week - they are the
easiest to plumb in, they said.

But in that case I'd be inclined to go for a machine with a drain
facility (no tank to empty). Miele don't seem to cater for this.

From Miele's own website:

T 230 C Novotronic condenser tumble dryer
Easy to empty condensed water container with pump away facility if preferred

Christian.

Neil Jones wrote:

In fact Miele have a 'pump away' facility on all their condensors. This
was once factor in their favour at John Lewis last week - they are the
easiest to plumb in, they said.

Ah, ok - doesn't seem to get listed as a feature on the sites I've been
looking at. Thanks.

--
Grunff

Christian McArdle wrote:

T 230 C Novotronic condenser tumble dryer
Easy to empty condensed water container with pump away facility if preferred


Thanks for pointing this out - I'd missed it. The feature seems to be
left off the list for Miele on many retailer's sites.

--
Grunff

On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 14:47:30 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 12:28:34 +0000 (UTC), Peter wrote:

they dont work that way, the hot air is recycled in the machine over
an alloy plate on which the steam condenses assisted by room air
blown accross by a fan,

Not on our old(*1) Hotpoint, the air is recycled(*2) and cold water
dribbled into the flow to condense out the moisture this water is then
pumped out along with the condensate.

so the only heat you get into the room is from the cabinet, same
as a vented dryer.

Can this be true if room air is being used to cool the condensing
plate? On the old machine above it is true as no air escapes into the
room, the waste heat and condensate goes down the drain. B-(

(*1) Now defunct due to knackered motor and weird problem where at
some parts of the cycle the motor wouldn't run backwards.

(*2) Which strikes me as more effcient than heating the air and
blowing it straight outside.

I've not kept up to date with this thread but I have a whirlpool
condensing dryer and a tremendous amount of heat is expelled from it.
If you stand in front of it you can feel very hot air being expelled.
It is also fairly noisy.

It has a plastic try in the bottom which you remove to empty the
water. There is a small section in the door you need to remove each
time to clean the fluff away. It also has a say 1' * 1' * 6" removable
block which is full of corrugated fins - this needs cleaning out every
so often as it fills with fluff.

I've never had a tumble drier before but I can vouch for the fact that
it is a costly item to run. Our electricity bill has definitely gone
up substantially since we got it.

Having said all that it's great (in the winter especially) because it
is a lot less bother than hanging clothes out to dry.

Martin
--
Martin J. Evans
Wetherby, UK

" Not on our old(*1) Hotpoint, the air is recycled(*2) and cold water
dribbled into the flow to condense out the moisture this water is then
pumped out along with the condensate.

(*2) Which strikes me as more effcient than heating the air and
blowing it straight outside.


Are you not talking about a washer/dryer here ??

Well its not more effcient because it cannot remove 100% of the moisture
from the heated air before blowing it back round the clothes in the drum,
when it just bows it outside its all gone. Whenever another process is
intoduced it reduces effciency.
Peter

Grunff wrote:
Neil Jones wrote:

I'm having a condensing Miele (T 230 C?) delivered on Wednesday so if
you can wait another week I'll report back here...


That would be very much appreciated.

Well, it duly arrived on Wednesday and so far I have been running it
with the reservoir rather than plumbing it in but this will happen in
due course.

First impressions: very impressed.

The performance is as expected - it just works. The timings in the user
guide are quite accurate for a load straight from the washing machine.
It dumps a lot of heat into the room but I am not aware of any water
vapour escaping.

The filters are easy to get at and clean, and the water container is at
the top of the machine, in the same place as you would find the powder
drawer on a washing machine, so it's easy to remove and empty.

I have never had a tumble dryer before, only washer/dryers and it is
easy to see why a dedicated machine is a big improvement.

We previously had washer/dryers becasue we hardly used the dryer at
all - I suspect that now we have a tumble dryer it will get used a lot
more...

Let me know if there is anything else I can add or expand on.

Neil Jones wrote:

Well, it duly arrived on Wednesday and so far I have been running it
with the reservoir rather than plumbing it in but this will happen in
due course.

First impressions: very impressed.

The performance is as expected - it just works. The timings in the user
guide are quite accurate for a load straight from the washing machine.
It dumps a lot of heat into the room but I am not aware of any water
vapour escaping.

The filters are easy to get at and clean, and the water container is at
the top of the machine, in the same place as you would find the powder
drawer on a washing machine, so it's easy to remove and empty.

I have never had a tumble dryer before, only washer/dryers and it is
easy to see why a dedicated machine is a big improvement.

We previously had washer/dryers becasue we hardly used the dryer at
all - I suspect that now we have a tumble dryer it will get used a lot
more...

Let me know if there is anything else I can add or expand on.


This is very useful, many thanks. Where did you buy it from?

--
Grunff

Grunff wrote:
Neil Jones wrote:

Well, it duly arrived on Wednesday and so far I have been running it
with the reservoir rather than plumbing it in but this will happen in
due course.

First impressions: very impressed.

The performance is as expected - it just works. The timings in the
user guide are quite accurate for a load straight from the washing
machine. It dumps a lot of heat into the room but I am not aware of
any water vapour escaping.

The filters are easy to get at and clean, and the water container is
at the top of the machine, in the same place as you would find the
powder drawer on a washing machine, so it's easy to remove and empty.

I have never had a tumble dryer before, only washer/dryers and it is
easy to see why a dedicated machine is a big improvement.

We previously had washer/dryers becasue we hardly used the dryer at
all - I suspect that now we have a tumble dryer it will get used a
lot more...

Let me know if there is anything else I can add or expand on.


This is very useful, many thanks. Where did you buy it from?

John Lewis. I expect I could have got it cheaper on the internet but I
was in the shop at the time, their staff are well trained and they
deliver on Wednesdays to my area which is quite convenient.

Neil

Thanks for all the advice. Installed a Bosch condenser (6106) yesterday - excellent job, very
pleased.
No heat lost through a vent, warmed and scented the utility a bit. Really was plug and tumble.
Thanks
CB

"cb" wrote in message ...
Does anyone have any views on condenser versus vented driers.
Are there any manufacturers to avoid or any outstandingly good ones.
Many thanks
CB

Im an in-expet diy-er and I am hoping to place a dryer in an under the
stairs cupboard (in the kitchen) where the gas metre and electric
metre/fuse box are sited.

Is this likely to cause any major problems, with condensation what
have you. I hope to place a condenser dryer but there is no plumbing
in there, i didnt think any was needed.

Your opinions valued, thank you.
M

mswanson wrote:
Im an in-expet diy-er and I am hoping to place a dryer in an under the
stairs cupboard (in the kitchen) where the gas metre and electric
metre/fuse box are sited.

Is this likely to cause any major problems, with condensation what
have you. I hope to place a condenser dryer but there is no plumbing
in there, i didnt think any was needed.

Your opinions valued, thank you.

I don't think it would function correctly. Condensers rely on ambient
air for cooling the heat exchanger. Ambient air temperature needs to be
reasonably low for this to happen - under ~30C. If you put your dryer in
the cupboard under the siars, the air temperature in there will very
quickly reach 50C or more, and the dryer will just stop working.

I don't think condensation would be a problem, our condenser doesn't
output any significant amounts of water to the atmosphere.

--
Grunff

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 14:06:25 +0100, Grunff wrote:

mswanson wrote:
Im an in-expet diy-er and I am hoping to place a dryer in an under the
stairs cupboard (in the kitchen) where the gas metre and electric
metre/fuse box are sited.

Is this likely to cause any major problems, with condensation what
have you. I hope to place a condenser dryer but there is no plumbing
in there, i didnt think any was needed.

Your opinions valued, thank you.

I don't think it would function correctly. Condensers rely on ambient
air for cooling the heat exchanger. Ambient air temperature needs to be
reasonably low for this to happen - under ~30C. If you put your dryer in
the cupboard under the siars, the air temperature in there will very
quickly reach 50C or more, and the dryer will just stop working.

I don't think condensation would be a problem, our condenser doesn't
output any significant amounts of water to the atmosphere.

I had a Bosch Condensor Dryer in a cupboard under the water tanks. Worked
fine if I left the door open.

Also had it under a kitchen unit with 1-1.5 inches of gap around the sides
- more or less OK.

Now it's under the stairs (but not in a cupboard) and is still happy.

Mine does suck in through the front and exhaust out the back, so as long
as a) the air in front is cool, and b) air from teh back can escape
easily, it should be fine.

Most condensors have a water collection tank which you empty down a sink -
but I'm aware of some that either require or have an option to be
connected to a drain.

HTH

Tim

Is this likely to cause any major problems, with condensation what
have you. I hope to place a condenser dryer but there is no plumbing
in there, i didnt think any was needed.

It's more of a heat issue. If the space is well ventilated, then no problem.

Personally, I'd install an isolation switch outside of the cupboard, as if
it goes Pete Tong, you can hit the button. If it is on fire, you won't be
able to pull the circuit breaker.

Christian.